Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 2 Kings · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
BVt Elishah said, hear ye the word of the Lord, thus saith the Lord, to morrow by this time, a measure of fine flowr shall be bought for a shekle, and two measures of V. 1.barley for a shekle, in the gate of Samaria.] Although the king had sent to behead Elishah, yet he seeing the extremity in which he was, stood not to expostulate with him about it, but accepting of his recantation, spake the greatest comfort unto him that might be. Whereby is shewed, that the Lord is so mercifull, that he graciously Note. passeth over that which is uttered impatiently in extream misery, and provideth not withstanding for his people, as their necessity requireth. There could not any thing more joyfull and fully contenting have been spoken by the Prophet, then to promise plenty, and to set the very day and hour; and therefore, as Iosephus saith, Jo…ephus.the king rejoyced greatly when he heard it, but his impious servant on whom he leaned (which argued that he was in great grace with him, as Naaman with the king of Syria) replied scoffingly with this great blasphemy, that if the Lord should make windowes in heaven, and rain down corn, it could not be so, as if he had never read or regarded not, what was recorded touching his feeding of the Israelites with Manna in the wildernesse, being 600000. forty years together, and with flesh their fill an whole monethmonth. Moses himself doubted, as Martyr hath it, when P. Martyr.God promised so to do, how it could be done; but his doubting was out of admiration, as the Virgin Maries afterwards, and not out of unbelief, concluding it utterly impossible. Touching the measure which should be bought so cheap, it is Satum in Hebrew and Chald. and this word is also used by Iosephus, but in the Septuagint translation, Modius, and likewise in the vulgar Latin; but according to Ierom, a satum is as much as the measure called modius and half, because it contained 6. cabs, the modius but four. A cab then being 6. pints, as was partly touched before, six of them, which was a satum, amounted to 36. that is, four gallons and half, that is, half a gallon more then half a bushel, and comparing this with the price of doves-dung at this time, we shall finde it to be 120. times cheaper, and barley 240. which was a most admirable fall of price on such a sudden. This prince, that would not beleeve that it could be so, was by and by threatned, that he should see it, but not taste thereof, because he should by Gods just judgement be troden to death, as hereafter appeareth. If he shall seem not worthy so sore a punishment for not beleeving the Prophet, who shewed no signe to prove the truth of his prophesie; Tostatus saith well, that he did not onelyonly not beleeve Elishah, but not the power of God himself, Tostatus.for which he was worthily so punished, and he alone beleeved not, as it seemeth, when the king and all the rest that heard it, by reason of their former experience, that he was a true Prophet of God, beleeved it.
There were 4 lepers at the entrance of the gate, &c.] The meanes whereby God brought it about, that corn proved so plentifull on such a sudden, was by causing a noise of chariots and horses, and of a great army to be heard in the Syrian army, v. 6. whereupon they imagined, that the kings of the Hittites and of Egypt, were hired to help Israel, and so hasted away leaving their tents full of all manner of provision; and the means whereby the Israelites besieged in Samaria came to know this, was the desperate adventure of foure lepers, who for their leprosie were not suffered to dwell within the city, but without the gate, they being at the point of perishing by famine, went to the tents of the Syrians very early in the morning, and so discovered it. The Rabbins say that these foure were Gehazi and his three sons, but without all ground. But whatsoever men they were, it seemeth, that they had hitherto received some provision out of the city, but now they began to be in extreame want, and this made them desperate. And from their living without the gate all this time of this siege, and not being cut off by the Syrians we may gather, that the camp lay a good distance from the city, neither did they fight with Israel with any other weapon but with famin. For the found, which the Lord caused the Syrians to heare; some think that it was not in the ayre, but only in their eares, because thus the Samaritans should have heard it as well as they; but this followeth not, seeing God can keep some from seeing or hearing that which others heare, as appeareth by he example of Elishah and his servant in Dothan, and of Saul and his company, Act. 9. If it be demanded what Hittites were these, who they thought came to help them, seeing they were all bondmen to the Israelites, 1 Kings 9. 20, 21. It is to be understood that there was Chalim the sonne of Iaphet, Gen. 10. 4. whose posterity were called Hittites also, and the Isles inhabited; and of these Iosephus understandeth them, only they are written with foreign, but the Hitrites here mentioned with foreign. But how came it to be known to him that wrot this history, seeing none of the Israelites were there to discover it? doe not think with some, that he knew it by evelation, but that the Syrians themselves made it so publick, that all nations about could not but take notice of it.V. 8.
The lepers coming to the forsaken tents, where they found nothing, but horses and asses without, and within abundance of provision and treasure went into one, and did eat and drink, and then carried out treasure and hid it in the ground, and having done so the second time, Iosephus saith 4 times, they feared, that if they concealed this good newes, it would be found to be a great sin in them, for which they P. Martyr.should be liable to punishment. And they had indeed saith Martyr, done already more then they could justifie, seeing the prey belonged not unto them, but was to be at the kings disposing, and till he gave liberty to take and carry away any of it, it Sallianus.was theft in such, as did so. But others say, that the taking of these things was lawfull, and without all fault, being made so by the justice of warre, and their own necessity. But why then did they hide them? It is said they did this, as not thinking the Syrians to be fled quite away: but this is contrary to the course of the history, seeing if they had thought so, they could not have come to tell the king, that they were gone. Moreover it had been a great fault in them, when all the city was in such extremity for want of food, to delay longer the bringing unto them this joyfull newes. Here it may seem strange, that in flying away they should leave their horses, and that when they were fled a good way of, and perceived none to follow them, that they returned not to their tents again. But the same God which sent the sound at the first, could make it continue and pursue them many miles homeward, and the terrour stricken into them to transport them so farre, as not once to think upon their beasts to carry them, or not to dare to stay to bridle them. The news of the Syrians flight being come to the king, he suspecting that it was done in policy, sent out two horse men to see whether they were really fled away or not. In consulting about it v, 13. it is said, let them take five of the horses which remain. And, V. 14. Junius.They took therefore two chariots of horses.] Kimhi saith, some of the five which remained; by two chariots of horses Iunius understandeth, [duos equos vectarios] two road-horses, serving to carry men upon the way. Others better [currus equorum, i. equos curules] of the Kings chariot-horses. Iosephus, to make both these sayings the better to agree, hath it thus; Let two horsemen be sent out, &c. And two horsemen were sent saith the Septuagint, as the meaning is. And following V. 15.them unto Iordan, they saw garments and vessels strewed in the way. They cast away their garments, that they might run the lighter; by vessels some understand their armour and instruments of warre, and some, precious vessels of silver and gold: but seeing the word foreign signifieth either, it is rather to be conceived, that instruments of warre are here meant, because if their haste were such, that they would not stay to take their horses, much lesse would they take any luggage, but their weapons onelyonly, and growing more and more faint-hearted, they would no longer bear the very burthen of them, but trusting rather to their heels, cast them away.V. 16.
Newes being brought to the king, the people went soon out with him to the prey, and the corn which they found there in wonderfull great aboundance being brought to sell to the citizens (who stayed behinde, that were no souldiers) in the gate of the city, the unbeleeving prince, was by the King appointed to keep good order amongst them, that they might not in coming over hastily throng and bear down one another. But whilest he attended upon this office, having first seen some corn sold so, as was prophesied, he himself was born down and troden to death And so none of the Lords word fell to the ground, but was all fulfilled, that we might not be unbeleeving, but beleeving in things, which have not so sudden accomplishment, Note. for all promises shall like wise take effect in the time set by God. Iosephus, whom also Martyr followeth, saith, that he was set to keep the people Josephus.from coming out too hastily, when fhey went to take the prey, which cannot be, because so his treading to death had bin before that any corn had bin sold, or he had seen the cheapnesse prophesied of. And the selling of it at such a price is first spoken of and then his death; plainly intimating, that it was not in the going out to take the P. Martyr.prey that this happened, but after the taking, the souldiers returned to sell it at the gate of the city. And after they had begun to sell so to some, the report going throughout the city, such multitudes came thronging to buy, that he who was set to keep them back, was troden down by the violence of the comers, hunger, which brought them being impatient of any stay. And this judgement is thought by some to have come upon him rather then any other, that his sinne in his former oppressions of the people, of which it is not unlikely but that he was guilty, might have a sutable punishment in his being pressed to death under their feet. But I passe this over as probable onelyonly, forasmuch as kings favourites who are wicked, are commonly found to be oppressours of the people. The punishment suted well with his sin howsoever, in that he, who slighted so much the power of God, trampling the honour thereof, as it were, under his feet, was so slighted by the multitude in his great and high place, as that they sticked not to tread him to death under their feet. A like death Martyr noteth, that Constantine the last suffered in the gate of Constantinople, when the Grecian army pressed into the city and took it. Whereas Sallianus conjectureth, that this prince might be set over the gate, lest any enemies lurking about should enter into it, being empty of people; it is altogether improbable, for both they were now secure in respect of enemies, and all the people went not out to take the prey, but the souldiers onelyonly, else what need had they to have bought? Touching this huge quantity of corn and treasure, it is not amisse conjectured by some, that the Syrians came to be thus well stored, by pillaging and forraging the countrey about during the time, that they lay in siege, but now by the power of God, they were forced to his high honour, to leave it there again with advantage, and to flee shamefully away. Yet, as all expositours note, the subjects of that king were so hardened in their wickednesse through a costome of sinning, as that no reformation from idolatry, or thaukesgiving to God, followed for this great deliverance, which made the Lord to meditate upon another sweeping judgment by the Assyrians, and to bring it afterwards, chap. 17. when by many corrections following after this, they were not yet amended.
Lyra makes a good morall of this, from the beginning to tell of the 4 lepers, saying, Lyra.these lepers set forth preachers, who teach well, but live ill, because the lepry of sin breaks out upon them, however they tell good tidings; the tents of the Syrians full of riches left to the men of Samaria, the noise of armies only being heard, the nations full of all treasure, coming under the power of the Church, onelyonly by the sound of the Apostles preaching; the unbeleeving prince, such as continue in their insidelity under the preaching of the Word, who shall finally be troden in the wine-presse of Gods wrath for ever.